Allan Ngumuya |
Blantyre City North legislator,
also veteran musician, Allan Ngumuya says is bringing again in the National
Assembly a motion which seeks development of policy that will require all Malawi
media broadcasting houses play more local music in order to enable home artists
collect enough proceeds from Copy Right Society of Malawi (CoSoMa).
Honourable Ngumuya brought the motion
in the house on Thursday evening but was rejected and sent back following
observation from the leader of Peoples Party, Uladi Mussa who also sits in the Business
Committee of the House when he said it was un-procedural to discuss on the
motion brought by interested party and in this case,.
Speaking in an interview, Hon.
Ngumuya who insist the Business Committee should have advised him earlier
before publishing the motion on the Order Paper said the motion is coming back
through Tholo Thava legislator honourable Mary Navicha.
Some of Malawi artists to reap from the motion |
The motion reads “That
considering how Malawian artists, especially musicians have been suffering and
are still suffering, this House resolves that, there should be a deliberate
Government policy to empower the musicians by among others, providing that all
Television and Radio Broadcasting Houses in the country, especially the public
owned broadcasting houses, should be airing a big portion of the Malawian music
in order to enable our musicians collect enough proceeds from the Copyright
Society of Malawi.”
Ngumuya explained that the motion
is very important to the economic status of the local artists and the growth of
music industry.
He said this will give hope to
local artists including upcoming young musicians that they can make a living through
their work of which is not the case at the moment where a lot of artists die
poor and emphasised “without anything” adding that himself who has been in the
industry for 32 years with sixteen albums “but am nobody.”
“Now proposing this motion it was
going to help economic situation of the artists because the more the music is
played in radio stations and televisions the more money for them [artists].” He
said
“And there is a tendency of favouring
international music in Malawi which also put life of artists in danger because those
who have money they bribe DJ’s in radio stations” he said but expressed hope
that once the House agrees to his motion and develop the policy, all local
artists will have opportunity to have their music played more as well put to an
end bribery tendency to radio DJ’s.
However, Hon. Ngumuya admitted that
standards and quality in the production of music has gone down in the country and
has since called upon fellow musicians to improve in order to make the future
policy more relevant.
“[Due to bribery to radion DJ’s] most
radio stations play trash music. So, this time if they want more of Malawian
music quality staff has to be there. So, am encouraging fellow artists to come
up with good staff to our radios.”
But he assured that when artists
begin to get more royalties from CoSoMa with the aid of the proposed policy,
there will be improvement in the quality of Malawi music because artists will
be able to afford to pay for best studios that can help them make good music productions.
But he maintained that “First we
have to enforce on how Malawian music is played on radio stations.” and “If we make our music popular among ourselves
then we will make our music popular in other countries.”
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